Life In The 1900s


Thesis

Life in the 1900's was depressing and was an era filled with 
extremely hard and strenous work that didn't offer any future for 
the average canadian in doing better. If you were an average wage 
earner you would be virtually stuck in the same job for the rest 
of your life, while rich maintained their wealth mainly caused by 
the low taxes. Living conditions were poor for average canadians 
and even worse for the arriving immigrants. At this time some of 
the modern convienences were just being invented and even if it 
were for sale only the extremely rich had the option of 
purchasing the items. Sports being very new, in the aspect of it 
being organized was small time compared to present day. 
Travelling required time and was uncomfortable. Only the rich 
could have the luxurious accomadations for those long journeys. 
Many jobs were available to most people but you were under 
constant scrutiny while working and would have to be willing to 
do any thing the boss wanted. I believe my friends and I would 
most likely resent and despise it if we had to live in the 
1900's.

During the 1900's horses played a significant role in the  
Everyday life. A horse drawn carriage would bring a docter to the 
house of where a baby would be born. A hearse was pulled by 
horses to the cemetery when somebody died. Farmers used them to 
pull their ploughs while town dwellers kept them for 
transportation around town. Horses puled delivery wagons for 
businesses such as bakery, dairy, and coal company. Horses pulled 
fire engines through the streets in a fire emergency.

The bicycle was widely accepted by canadians because of its easy 
maintence compared to a horse. The bike allowed an option of 
transportation. The bicycle also gave a sense of freedom to 
virtually anybody willing to learn.

Henry Ford revolutionized the world we live in by inventing the 
"horseless carriage", if it had not been for him, instead of 
taking the GO bus in the morning we'd be riding a horse named 
Wanda. Not only did his invention offer a method of 
transportation to the public, but it helped with our emergency 
services such as fire engines, police cars, and ambulances. Now 
we have a large variety of cars to choose from varying in size 
and price. He also brought a large profitable industry to North 
America...The car industry. Back then there weren't many problems 
that they created. Today, we have our deteriorating ozone layer, 
poisonous chemicals that come from exhaust fumes (CO2)(Carbon 
Monoxide). Not to mention the traffic accidents, parking problems 
and traffic jams in downtown Toronto.

11 years previous to WW I Orville and Wilbur Wright made a 
successful flight in the first airplane at the beach of Kitty 
Hawk, North Carolina. Although the flight only lasted 12 seconds 
it would change the way we see the world.

The telephone allowed the houseneeds to be satisfied without 
leaving they're homes. Women received an oppurtunity to work as a 
a switch board operator.

I don't know if I can stress the importance of Marconi's 
invention enough. But I can say, that without it not only would 
there be no T.V. or radio there would be a lot of unemployed 
people right now(even more unemployed than now!!!). The reason 
for that is radio provides people with jobs such as DJ's, musical 
programmers etc. Also, radio is a major form of advertising, 
without it there would not be as many advertising agencies or as 
many positions in this field. Without T.V., advertising agencies 
would also face the same consequences. T.V. provides millions of 
people  with employment in commercials, T.V. shows, and movies.

Baseball was the most popular sport in the United States where 
the World Series began in 1903. Tom Longboat was born in 
Brantford, Ontario and was known for outrunning a horse over a 19 
km coarse. He set a record of 2 hours, 24 min and 24 seconds when 
he ran the Boston Marathon.

Jan 22/1901 Queen Victoria died at the age of 63 years. The 
Queens reign stretched across the globe. With her death came  
modernization. In the early 1900's horses were being used 
extensivley for all transportating duties and some manual labor 
jobs. A few years later the bicycle hit Canada and presented the 
Canadians with a better option of transportation mainly because 
of the simplicity of maintence. During these other discoveries 
the automobile was being perfected for use by the general public. 
By the 1920's the automobile was no longer a rich man's toy and 
was being used by many people. 1903 saw the first succesful 
flight fo the airplane bh Orville and Wilbur Wright at Kitty 
Hawk, North Carolina. At about the same time Alexander Graham 
Bell invented the telephone in Nova Scotia. By the turn of the 
century telephones had uses increased from ordering household 
goods to supplying jobs for women and men. 1901, Signal Hill in 
St.John's Newfoundland Guglielmo Marcone received the first radio 
signal sent across the Atlantic Ocean. 20 years would elasped 
before radio broadcasting becomes mass entertainment. First 
movies were seen in the 19th century. 20 years will pass till 
speaking films arrive. 1903 the United States had their first 
World Series. In Canada, Tom Longboat was a famous runner who was 
famous for running faster than a horse on a 19 km course. Later 
to be proclaimed the worlds best marathoner. In the early 1900's 
modern covienences were just being available like bathrooms, 
electric washing machines, sewing machines, electric hearing 
aids, vacuum cleaners. The very fortuanate who could afford these 
items would order them from the Eaton's Catologue. All types of 
goods could be ordered in the Eaton's Catologue from fence posts 
to fashionable hats. The time period between 1901 and 1911 almost 
2 million people immigrated to Canada from Europe, Britain and 
the United States. Due to the population growth, in 1905 Alberta 
and Saskatchewan became apart of the Confederation. The railway 
boom in 1903-1904 helped elevate the employment. Materials needed 
to build the railways and the transporting of the materials 
started the industrialization. Urbanization led to a serious 
problem of overcrowding. The three economic classes were the 
rich, average, and the immigrants. With low taxes this allowed 
the rich to spend on frivalous items such as horse and carriages. 
In contrast the average would only use their money for the 
neccessities in survival. At the bottom were the immigrants that 
were forced to live in unsanitary conditions and dank, damp 
basements. Not only were there differences of wealth or lack of 
but there was a difference in women and men's treatment. For 
example women did not have the freedom to enter pool room's, 
taverns and even bowling allies. Choices for women were working 
in stores and factories. Even if you came from a rich family your 
choices would have been nursing or teaching. Coming from a poor 
family women tended to just become a domestic servent. Women 
didn't have the right to vote like the men. In 1876 Dr Emily 
Stowe formed Toronto Women's Literary Club(TWLC). The purpose of 
this club was to inform  women of their rights and to help secure 
women's rights. This group persuaded U of T to admit women in 
1866. Also improved wages and working conditions. Womens 
Christian Temperence Union(WCTU) their goal was to combat 
problems created by alcohol in the society. A great social 
speaker Nellie Mclung received her start in WCTU to lead in the 
fight for equal freedom and for womens rights.

Conclusion

After discovering information about the 1900's I have come to the 
conclusion that in the 1900's was both good and bad. It was good 
because of the rising industries thus raising the economy. The 
main industries working for Canada were the railways, and road 
building. These industries provided needed jobs and the materials 
needed to complete these projects helped Canada grow even more. 
Low taxes meant you could pay for more important expenditures 
than paying to the government. The bad part of the 1900's was the 
three living standards in how most people were the poor and very 
little were rich. The modern convienences were not available to 
everyone in the early 1900's because these devices would have 
been very expensive caused by the newness of the products. Even 
though were guys I can see how women would have despised the fact 
that you were not able to vote or enter any buildings without 
checking it if it's not a tavern, pool room, and a bowling alley.
Due to these outsanding points that stuck first in my mind I have 
changed my mind and believe it was both good and bad.
 